A golf shoe, and especially the outsole of a golf shoe, plays an important role during a golfer's swing because it serves as the golfer's sole contact surface with the ground and acts as a platform to support the golfer during the golf swing. The golfer's footwork is important to the execution of a proper and effective golf swing.
The golfer's footwork during the swing is nuanced and differs from left foot to right foot. In general, for most golf shots the golfer's weight is initially distributed 50/50 on each foot and the weight is centered in the middle of each foot. During the backswing, the golfer's weight should shift to the outside (lateral side) of the golfer's back foot while the front foot maintains some weight for balance. The backswing applies forces tending to spin or pivot the back forefoot outwardly and the back heel inwardly, which must be resisted by the back foot's contact with the ground to keep the golfer's back foot stable. During the downswing of the club, the golfer's weight begins to shift and by the time the golf ball is struck, the golfer's weight is evenly balanced on the rear foot and front foot or has started to shift more to the front foot. At the finish position of the swing, most of the golfer's weight is on the front foot with more weight on the outside (lateral side) of the front foot than the inside (medial side), and the golfer's heel and shoe outsole are elevated above the ground and facing rearwardly. In a proper swing, only the toe of the golfer's rear foot remains in contact with the ground at the finish. In the finish position the heel and most of the outsole of the golfer's rear shoe are off of the ground, with only the toe contacting the ground for balance.
With the foregoing footwork, the golfer's weight on any local area of the outsole constantly changes and shifts throughout the golf swing.
Improvements in the golf shoe outsole that provide the golfer with greater traction, better stability, improved overall balance, and greater power and consistency during the golf swing are most desirable.